Grapevine Magazine and its sister website GrapevineLIVE.co.uk have been promoting LIVE entertainment in East Anglia for over 25 years through our trusted free listings service. Register online today and add your events.

Penguins Go Pop

Penguins Go Pop are set to finally release their 14 track album ’20th Century Pop’ next week and celebrate with a free launch gig at The Last Pub Standing in King Street, Norwich on Friday 10th August, 8pm.

The band were formed in the late 80s by singer and songwriter Richard Penguin, with John Hough and Mark Wyatt.

They recorded their early demos before adding Andy Mickleburgh and Claude Alberts, and later Andy Butler and Audrey Mcintyre. In the mid to late 90s Richard recorded with John Bygrave as King Penguin and has brought many of his songs from that time into the penguins set.

Richard, Mark, Andy M and Andy B reformed Penguins Go Pop in October 2013 and added Philip Lewis-Jones. They gigged, played festivals and won over new fans with Richard’s quirky catchy songs and offbeat humorous and quirky stories.

Former Virgin Records marketing man Alex Bostock favourably described the band in 2015 as ‘like XTC fronted by Kevin Ayers’.

In late 2015 Philip left to focus on his own songs, and Andy B for his solo loop guitar career; but in their place two new penguins Liz and Pete Moore joined, and recently David Clark has been drumming with the band and Andy returns for an occasional concert.

The album is finally released locally on Friday 10th August with a national release planned for September, and new songs that Richard has been writing for a second album are being rehearsed.

They are also playing on the Nomad stage at Harlequin Fayre, this Sunday on the 5th August at midday.